Image Source: Production by great social club & Photographer Jana Schuessler for Cowgirl magazine

In 2013, Hanna Harris was murdered on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana. At that time, Harris was 21, and the fourth of July was the last day anyone would see her alive. Hanna never made her way home, and the troubled family she had later contended with the local law enforcement who downplayed her disappearance.

After a few days, a volunteer search team found her body badly decomposed due to the summer heat in the Great Plains. Since the 1970s, almost 60 tribal citizens, both male and female, have been declared officially missing. (Rickert) Despite the recent steps made by the Federal Government in further including Native Americans and recognizing their importance to the nation’s history, until now, there is an undeniable rift with mainstream media that occurs when it’s about raising awareness and reporting on the plight of the Native American Nations, regardless of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day, which is observed by thousands of Native Americans and supporters, even more so with the death of Hanna Harris. 

Being that Agustin’s reputation as a rising polo star required an extensive development team in the circuit, it was also essential to develop a comprehensive marketing and public relations campaign to gain recognition, attract sponsors, and build a solid and loyal fanbase. Great Social Club devised a detailed marketing and public relations campaign strategy for Agustin Arellano, as he was seeking to enhance his visibility and recognition within the competitive world of equestrian sports and beyond.

Introduction

BACKGROUND

In a bid to raise awareness for the tribal nations and to support her family through the tragedy, Billings, Montana cowgirl and Northern Cheyenne Native American Shayla Conner sought to use her platform to raise the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) issues across the US and beyond. As Miss Sheridan’s WYO Rodeo Queen, Shayla inspired others to support the cause during her 2021 Sheridan WYO Rodeo performances.

For six years, Shayla and her family lobbied state officials to create a decisive bill that would help Native American communities seek The Department of Justice’s aid in assisting investigations concerning missing person cases. The decision to develop this legislation was conceptualized due to the negligent nature of what transpired with local officials during Hanna’s reported disappearance.

Apart from lobbying senators and governors, Shayla pushed herself to represent Hanna and the community by participating in a media and PR campaign with Great Social Club. During the first year of Miss Sheridan’s WYO Rodeo competition, Shayla competed by showing her heritage with a distinct red hand print on her face and the horse that she was on.

A red handprint on a Native American's face, like many symbols and practices, can have different cultural definitions depending on the nation, context, and individual involved. In this case, Shayla’s goal was to represent the missing and murdered individuals who went missing over the years, similar to Hanna’s case. According to Conner, ‘‘It symbolized how they can’t speak out since the truth is forever silenced. This power move was carefully thought of with the help of Sean Realbird, who works with Native American tribes for Indian Relay Races.

 In a combined effort, GSC sought to work with The Rodeo Royalty Board and Sheridan WYO Rodeo Board to promote Shayla’s platform by attending events such as The Christmas Stroll, Polo, and Powwows’ hosted by Crow Nation’s representative, Isabella Yellowtail, to raise awareness and funds for MMIW ( Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women) this also included the distribution of media and press releases to local publications throughout Wyoming and Montana about Shayla’s story, platform and updated information about the MMIW.

For years, Native American and Alaskan Native communities have faced the consequences of dealing with high rates of abduction, assault and murder of their women. It’s a bloody legacy that has tainted the history of Native peoples, and it all stemmed from generations of government policies, land removal, and violence.

A 2016 National Institute of Justice (NIJ) study found that more than 4 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women (84.3%) have experienced violence in their lifetime, including 56.1% who have experienced sexual violence.

In the year leading up to the study, 39.8% of American Indian and Alaska Native women had experienced violence, including 14.4% who had experienced sexual violence.

Overall, more than 1.5 million American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime.

While these rates are a cause for worry, research data yields that the national statistics have shown that there are incredibly high rates of murder against American Indian and Alaska Native women present in some tribal lands. According to the National Institute of Justice Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2008 National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS), less than half of these violent crimes against women are ever reported to police.

Estimated rates of violence on reservations can be up to ten times higher than the average results. More research shows the rates of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women living in urban areas.

Moreover, reports indicate no reliable count of how many Native women go missing or are killed yearly. 11 Researchers have found that women are often misclassified as Hispanic or Asian or other racial categories on missing-person forms and that thousands have been left off federal missing-persons.

TEAM WINS

As a result, Shayla got a substantial following after her initial tenure as Sheridan WYO’s Rodeo Queen. She appeared in Cowgirl Magazine and other news outlets due to the success of her win. She was able to educate more people about what happened to Hanna while keeping others abreast of the recent reports surrounding the other communities. In Montana, nearly 6,000 Indigenous people were reported missing between 2017 — 2019, and almost 80% were under 18, according to a Montana Department of Justice analysis.

It was an eye-opening report that opened the eyes of many to what the Northern Cheyenne, Crow Reservation and others go through, but it also lit a torch of hope for future generations. Shayla’s tenure as Miss Sheridan paved the way for more Native American girls to pursue different paths in life.

CONCLUSION

For several months after the shoot, Great Social Club edited the editorial shoot and submitted it to various national publications and magazines. Shayla’s advocacy reached new heights after being placed in Cowgirl Magazine for their March - April Issue 2022. According to Conner, this exposure led to more opportunities, such as working as an ambassador for The Child Safety Network in California. “I would never have gotten the opportunity if I didn’t use my voice. I’ll be doing media, Public Service Announcements on the radio and TV, and then going to different reservations and talking about what we’re coming up with to help lessen the numbers of men, women, and children going missing.”

Shayla is working closely with the organization on a particular project that would prevent the number of human trafficking from dwindling and enhance the safety of children worldwide. Aside from that, Shayla had various delegates reaching out to her from Colorado who were inspired by her story. Later on, she joined the Indian National Finals Rodeo, where she continued her work as an advocate. In her spare time, she also volunteers as a House Mother for the foster care system in Montana.